1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the preparation of cookies and, in particular, to the making of sandwich cookies using two halves, applying cream on one half, capping the first half with the second half, and stacking the newly formed cookie sandwiches corresponding to the number of cookies to be packaged.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most cookie makers are manually operated and require four to six people to put cookie halves into a cookie making machine. After the cookie halves are made into cookie sandwiches, another four to six people are required to remove the cookies from the cookie malting machine and load them into a cookie packaging machine. Additionally, some types of cookie making machines are vacuum operated. Vacuum operated machines require a pneumatic air source. These types of machines are very difficult to clean. Cleaning is a very important aspect of a cookie making machine because cookie making machines have to be able to make large number of many types of cookies.
Past sandwich cookie making machines place non-deposited cookie halves over cream deposited cookie halves by transporting the cookie halves in planes having different heights. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,772 uses a pinwheel for transporting non-deposited cookie halves from a first conveyor system onto a second higher conveyor system. The second conveyor system moves the non-deposited cookie half onto a pusher plate for depositing onto the creamed cookie halves. This mechanism includes many parts that need to be cleaned and include hard to reach areas during cleaning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,920 discloses a sandwiching machine and turn-over mechanism that requires manual intervention. Cookie halves are loaded into magazines at first and second locations. At the first location, the manually loaded cookie halves are inverted by a turnover wheel and placed on a conveyor. The cookie halves have cream deposited on them and then move along the conveyor until they reach a second location. At the second location, a second cookie half is placed on the first cookie half. This machine is easier to clean than U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,772; however, it requires several operators to load the cookie halves into the magazines.
The present invention solves the problem with the prior art by providing a fully automated sandwich cookie making machine that is easily cleaned. The invention provides easily accessible parts, and parts that are also easy to disassemble and easy to maintain.